A section entitled “Charities” on a book website may seem out of place to you, but it’s not for me. Actually, 25% of all royalties on the sale of Ill Gotten Gain is donated to feed orphans in Uganda and to feed and ultimately house homeless widows in India. My wife, Sybil, and I are 100% committed to missions, both here and abroad. We commit money, but in addition to resources, we’re passionate about committing our time. Sybil and I actually met in an airport in Amsterdam, Holland, on a mission trip to a group of 18 orphanages in Uganda. Sybil has been to Romania five times, Uganda twice, Guatemala, and India. I have been to Togo West Africa five times, Ghana three times, Albania, Belize three times, Guatemala twice, Uganda twice, and India. We will not direct money to a mission ministry unless we have seen that 100% of the funds given actually go to help the people who are needy.

Since Sybil and I met on a trip to Uganda, we decided to have a Uganda wedding ceremony at the Royal Orphanage. We insisted that all of the children were invited — remember that’s 750. We insisted that they and all who attended had fried chicken. Sweets are an unusual treat so we insisted that all who attended got wedding cake. A month before the trip Jolia called to let us know that people from the village were interested in also being there, so we said invite them! That was 250 more! So, we were married in Uganda with 1,000 of our closest friends attending. Needless to say, that was a very special day!

Currently we are actively involved with feeding the orphans in Uganda. AIDS related deaths have created a population of children who are in desperate need. Visions for Africa feeds, houses, educates, and clothes 350 children. It is a big job for Geoffrey Kadogo to administer especially since childhood polio has crippled one of his legs. His children have the best he can provide but it is barely enough even with support from US churches and non-profit organizations. Can you imagine having 350 children to take care of? The lasting memory of these children is that all they want is to hold your hand and walk next to you. A few dozen miles away is Royal Orphanage, the home of 750 children. Their facility is a little nicer, but the headmistress, Joila, still has to acquire the support to feed 750 hungry children. Like the children of Visions for Africa, the Royal children eat three meals daily of rice. Twice a year the children are served cooked chicken along with the rice.

In India, Hindi law doesn’t look favorably on widows. When an Indian man dies, no matter how successful he and his wife have been, all of their assets go to his family. The widow gets nothing and can even be expelled from the family home. It is hard to fathom. But that is the reason that there are 40 million Indian widows (40,000,000 – over 30% of the total population of India). Most have little food and many are homeless. Elim International and The Golden Years is actively involved in a small but important way in solving the problem. Sybil and I have joined with the Board of Directors of Elim to feed 150 homeless widows in Mandapeta, India. These wonderful ladies are fed two meals a week at Elim’s church. These two meals represent the entire weekly food supply for many of these widows. How and where do they live? Wherever they can find a place. One of these ladies is Kaviti Bulivenkamma. Kaviti is 76 years old and she lives in a “make do” tent on a garbage lot. She is crippled and lives on whatever she is given to eat. Elim feeds her daily. Sybil is widowed, so she has a special place in her heart for these ladies. We help and the contributed royalties allows everyone who buys a copy of Ill Gotten Gain to help too.

My intent with this letter is to provide some insight into our commitment to God’s “Great Commission” to go into all the world. It may be a small contribution in Uganda and India, but it is like lighting one candle in the dark. But I am reminded of the song Perry Como sang many years ago, “If everyone would light just one little candle, what a bright world this would be.”

The organizations we work with are 501(c)(3) non-profits so donations are tax deductible. There is a donation button on this website and if you would like to increase your assistance in these humanitarian efforts, please donate.

Thank you for your time and interest.

Ralph and Sybil Jarrells